The Gang At The Millennium
by Leah1968
Summary: Before they were reunited, a brief glimpse in to the lives of the Gang as they celebrated the new millennium. Can be read as a brief prequel to The Gang Today or as a stand alone story. The fifth chapter completes the story.
1. Chapter 1

-1_I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show_

The Gang At The Millennium

Chapter One

'So where were you when the millennium broke? That's what everyone will be asking for the next decade after its all over', Jessie said to one of the assistants that worked for her and five other divorce lawyers in her firm in New York City.

Having taken so many extra courses Jessie had sped her way through Colombia and law school there and was one of the youngest fully qualified divorce lawyers in her firm and already making a name for herself as one of the most successful.

Now though it was the end of the working day and all the talk was about was what everyone was doing the next evening, new years eve. The biggest new years eve celebration any of them would ever see in their lifetimes.

'I'm so looking forward to tomorrow evening. Dean has booked a really posh restaurant for us. I think he is going to propose.'

'Have a lovely evening Sophie.'

'I intend to, what about you Jessie, what are you doing?'

'Me, oh I'm staying home. I've got a lot of work to do.'

'Jessie, you can't do that.'

'Oh yes I can.'

Celia her assistant gave Jessie a look then as if to say she despaired and Celia then left the office for the day. Jessie was going to work late, she always did.

Jessie didn't like new years eve, she never had. As far as she was concerned, it was all a big fuss over nothing, just another night. Mind you , at least it meant January was going to be busy. According to one of the senior partners, January was the busiest time of year for a divorce lawyer. Apparently more couples decided to get divorced over the holiday season than any other time of year.

It was gone ten when Jessie left the office, one of the last to leave. She took the subway home to the Manhattan apartment she was renting. It was only a small one bed roomed place and she could easily afford something bigger, but she still hadn't decided if she was going to stay in New York permantley yet.

Settled back on the sofa at home, she decided to give Lisa a call. Lisa, her old high school friend, that had just won a really big deal and was about to launch her first big fashion line. Lisa had got the deal three months ago and she and Jessie had celebrated drinking champagne in to the early hours of the morning.

'Hey, Lisa.'

'Jessie, great to hear from you.'

'I just wanted to wish you luck for the launch and to wish you a happy new milliennium.'

'But Jessie, that's tomorrow night.'

'I know, I just thought I would get in early as I know you will be out celebrating with Lloyd.'

'Your behind the times Jessie. I'm going out with Doug tomorrow night, I met him last week, Lloyd is history.'

'Lisa I never could keep up with you.'

'Well Jessie, I feel like I'm dating for both of us sometimes. Why don't you date anymore Jessie? And don't tell me no one asks you because I know that can't be true.'

'Lisa, I don't have time to date okay.'

'Jessie, you have to make time.'

'I'd rather spend my time at work. The more work I do now, the more good reputation I get that Spano kicks ass, the more money I earn.'

'Jessie, did somebody hurt you? You were never like this in high school?'

'High school was a long time ago Lisa. Please can we just drop it, so tell me all about this Doug then.'

Later on , after she got off the phone with Lisa, Jessie settled down with some work at her desk at home. Before she opened her case notes, she sent a quick email to Zack and Kelly and their family wishing them a happy new milliennium and then it was back to work. She packed away at midnight and went to bed, only she couldn't sleep. Why did Lisa have to ask that question? She didn't think of him that often, did her best not too, it was all in the past, long in the past, but now she couldn't help it.

She was thinking back to Zack and Kelly's wedding, when AC Slater the guy she had once been so in love with, her high school sweetheart, had all but ignored her, acted as if she wasn't there. But it wasn't surprising really since he had been with another girl. In the year between their high school graduation and amicable split and Zack and Kelly's wedding, he had clearly moved on, a lot more than she had.

It had been five and a half years since Zack and Kelly's wedding and now Lisa had brought it to the forefront of her mind again. She was hurting all over again, still picturing Slater standing their with another girl. She had decided she never wanted to see him again, but it didn't stop it hurting any less. She had always thought it would hurt less as time went on, after all, everyone was supposed to move on from their high school sweethearts, but she couldn't and it still hurt today as much as it had on that day five and a half years ago.

The following morning Jessie wasn't surprised to be just one of the few people that came in to the office, though one of the others was her boss Shaun. Shaun was a world renowned divorce lawyer, soon due to retire and Jessie aspired to be like him career wise.

'Jessie, you remind me very much of myself when I was your age', he had told her in her first week at the firm when she was just out of law school.

'Jessie, I had a feeling you would be in today and I'm glad you are here because I wanted to talk to you.'

'I hope I haven't done anything wrong.'

'Exactly the opposite actually. Why don't you come and have a chat with me in my office.'

Jessie loved her bosses spacious office. She was going to have one just like it one day and hopefully that wouldn't be too far in the future.

'Jessie, what do you think of London?'

'London, Ontario, I've never been.' Jessie knew the firm had its other main office based there.

'No, London, UK', of course they also had offices in the UK in London and Manchester and Sydney , Australia.

'I've never been there either, though I've always wanted to.'

'That's good , because a fantastic opportunity has come up, based in our London office that I think you would be perfect for. Have a good read of all the details here and let me know your decision next week.'

The decision was an easy one to make. It was on opportunity she had thought would only be given to someone with a few more years experience, but Shaun had said she was perfect for it and it was perfect for her. After all, she had no ties, there was nothing to keep her in New York or anywhere else. It would be exciting to go somewhere new for a while. She made her final decision just as the clock struck twelve and the new milliennium began.

A week later she arrived in London to begin her new job and new life.


	2. Chapter 2

-1_I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show_

The Gang At The Millennium

Chapter Two

Saying goodbye hadn't been hard when he had graduated Cal U. What had been hard was afterwards when he had to face up to some hard facts. He was no longer surrounded by his friends each day, college was over and he was really out on his own in the world for the first time. But the thing it was hardest of all to face up to was that he wasn't good enough for the wrestling big leagues. He wouldn't be seen competing in any Olympics or world championships. He might have been the Cal U wrestling star, but talent scouts hadn't thought he was good enough. They had been at enough of the matches that he had won. Mike Rogers had once told him afterwards what one of them had said. The most he could hope for was to get a job coaching wrestling to high school and college kids. He could wrestle for leisure, but he wouldn't be making any big money or a career out of it.

Slater had saved some money to go travelling with when he graduated Cal U, so that September after college he had bought a plane ticket to New Zealand, travelled round the country for a couple of months and got a work permit for when the money ran out. The time he got back to Auckland, where he had first landed, he was skint and needed a job fast. The time he had arrived back in Auckland, he had gone through four women and all three thousand dollars that he had saved. He took the first job that was offered to him working as a waiter in a sports bar. It was through one of the regular customers in there he had heard of the job as a wrestling coach to high school age kids at the nearby leisure centre. And three years later, he was still there.

It was new years eve and New Zealand would be one of the first countries in the world to see in the new milliennium . He was hoping his boss was going to close up the leisure centre early today.

'Actually Slater I need to talk to you. I don't think they are going to let me renew your contract next month. Isn't your work permit due to run out then?'

'Yes and they only extended it originally because you gave me another contract for two years after my first year with you. I guess its time to think about going home. I always meant too. Origianlly I didn't know how long I was planning to stay here.'

'We will miss you here Slater, but I know you will go on to far bigger and better things.'

'Thanks Mr Waters.'

'So, its new years eve, the biggest date night of the century. Whose the lucky lady of the many always flocking round you that you've chosen to spend it with?'.

'Actually none of them. I know it's a special occasion, but there isn't anyone special enough to me that I want to share it with.'

'Your not seeing that lifeguard Michelle anymore then?'

'Well, yes, but its not serious, we just enjoy each others company. She is spending holidays with her family in Dunedin.'

'Have a good time anyway, Slater, whatever you do this evening.'

'Thanks.'

Slater walked home in the warm summer sunshine to the apartment he shared with his two friends Lee and Anne. They had met by chance at the lettings agency and had been friends and flatmates ever since. Anne was a psychiatric nurse and Lee was a qualified windsurfing instructor, but got sacked from his last job because of showing up at work drunk and that was dangerous. Now Lee worked at a snack stand down at the beach near where he used to work.

Slater wasn't surprised neither of his flatmates were home, they both had the day off and were probably out celebrating already. He switched on the TV and flicked through some of the channels until he found some sport to watch and settled down with a can of beer. Slater didn't drink that often because of his job and liking to keep fit, but it was a night to celebrate and beer was never in short supply in their apartment. Lee drank beer like it was water and was what had cost him his job as a sports instructor. Slater actually thought Lee had a drink problem and had tried to broach the subject with him once. Lee had gone in to a blind rage and Slater had learnt a valuable lesson. You couldn't help somebody that didn't want to be helped and in future, he would just mind his own business.

Later on he decided to go out to one of the local bars, you couldn't stay in tonight. And it was when he got to the bar that he thought he saw her, the girl he had once loved with all his heart, deep down still did, even though it was all long ago in the past now. She had her back to him, her hair was the same, her figure as slim and curvy in all the right places as it had always been, but it was only when she turned round he realised this girl looked nothing like Jessie Spano, his high school sweetheart. Of course it wasn't going to be her. The last he heard of her, she was happily enjoying life at law school in New York and didn't have any plans to leave there. But still, as he looked around the bar, she may not be Jessie, but it didn't look like there was anyone else here worth talking to, so he decided to talk to the girl anyway. She was about to pay the barman for her drink.

'It's okay, I'll get that for you', he paid the man behind the bar before she could even protest.

'Thanks. I'm Megan.'

'AC, but most people just call me by my last name Slater, I prefer it.'

Two hours later Slater was back home alone, having seen the new milliennium in with Megan, with a new years kiss and then he had left adruptly while she had been at the bar getting them more drinks. He had decided he couldn't do it, he couldn't bring her home and sleep with her, just because she had reminded him of Jessie when he first saw her. Neither did he want to cheat on Michelle, even though it was nothing serious between them, he didn't want to be lying cheating scum, even though he knew the time had come to break it off with her.

Slater was still up watching the celebrations around the world as they happened at four in the morning when he got a phone call from Anne.

'Slater, I'm in the emergency room. It's Lee, they don't think he is going to make it.'

Slater had gone to the hospital and sat with Anne as they waited for Lee to die. He passed away in the early afternoon. The doctors said he must have been a heavy drinker since his early teens, his liver and digestive systems were severely damaged and one bender too many had finally taken its toll. He had been twenty-nine years old.

Back in their apartment later that night Slater and Anne had both vowed to become teetotal having seen what an addiction to alcohol had done to their friend first hand. It hadn't been a very nice start to the new milliennium. And the next day, Slater still had Michelle to deal with.

'Michelle, you are a terrific and beautiful girl, but I'm sorry, I don't love you. I think the time has come for us to stop seeing each other. Not only that, my work permit runs out next week and I've decided its time to go home to the states.'

'Its okay Slater, I always knew you didn't love me. And I always knew you would go home one day, we had some fun while it lasted.'

'Yeah, we did didn't we?', Slater smiled and kissed her goodbye on the cheek for the last time.

Slater landed back home in LA at the end of January. There was nobody to greet him or welcome him home. His parents had temporarily gone back to Germany, his Dad being stationed there again for a while. His younger sister Janine was now in the army herself and was currently based at a US military base France. Zack and Kelly were still living up near Cal U, Kelly being in medical school and in all honesty, he hadn't been very good at keeping in touch with them since graduating college. Screech he had lost touch with completely.

But at least he had a home to go to. His parents house was still here and they had told him he could stay in it as long as he wanted. Now all he had to do was find himself a job and get used to the American way of life again after three years in New Zealand.


	3. Chapter 3

-1_I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show_

The Gang At The Millennium

Chapter Three

Their children Sophie and Ben were too young to know what was going on , the new years eve that would see in the new milliennium. Zack and Kelly had Sophie and Ben in their beds asleep by half past seven as usual. Now they had finally moved in a to a more spacious three bed roomed apartment, they had finally got their young children in to a better routine. Even better for Kelly, it was much closer to the medical school than their old tiny apartment.

Most of their friends that Kelly knew from med school and that Zack knew from the bank where he now worked were all going out on the town to celebrate this evening. But then most of their friends their own age didn't have two young children to look after.

Zack still wanted to make the evening special for Kelly though. She had really been burning herself out lately , medical school and motherhood was a lot to cope with all at once. But at least they had money now he was coming in to his third year working at the bank and he had just had another promotion. Their early years as a married couple had been so tough financially, but they had made it through and now they were at least comfortable.

Zack was busy in the kitchen, cooking he and Kelly's favourite Chinese dishes, Kelly was sat in the lounge with her medical books. She had two major tests coming up once school started again after the holiday celebrations.

Zack took the champagne he had bought out the fridge and put it on ice so it would be perfect for when their dinner was ready.

He only went through the lounge to collect the champagne glasses from their drinks cabinet when he noticed Kelly was in tears, surrounded by her books. It didn't surprise Zack, since the children had been born, this had been a regular occurrence, but he really felt for her, medical was stressful and so was being a parent, he could only imagine how tough it must be for her.

As he took her in his arms, he told her what he always did, how much he loved her, how fantastic and beautiful she was. How she was a wonderful Mum and that one day she was going to be a wonderful doctor too.

'Kelly, I've told you before, don't you even think of quitting medical school, ever. No matter how tough and stressful it gets, I know you can do it.'

'But Zack……'

'No buts Kelly. Listen to me, we are going to enjoy this evening and those two tests you've got coming up, your going to ace them. I better go check on our dinner.'

'I'm not that hungry.'

'You will be once you tast the stir fry and I bought us some nice champagne to wash it down with. And I do mean nice champagne, not the cheap rubbish we used to knock back as undergraduates.'

Kelly smiled, remembering those days. Zack was right, they had come a long way and they deserved to celebrate.

Kelly took her first mouthful of food and Zack was right, she was hungry now. Zack's cooking was as delicious as always,_ and so is he_, she thought to herself looking at the man she had married and had loved for even longer.

After they finished their dinner, they finished off the champagne and as they cuddled up together on the sofa, Kelly opened her books once more. Zack helped her revise, as Kelly kept getting him to ask her questions from the books. He could only admire his beautiful intelligent wife, it was all like a foreign language to him. How she managed to make sense of it all, he would never know.

'I wonder what all our friends are doing. I bet when we talk about what we did for the milliennium in years to come, I'll be the only one to say I stayed home and studied.'

'No you won't, because I stayed home with you and our two young children of course that were totally oblivious to the whole thing.'

'Zack, I'm sorry I got upset, it was just me being silly as usual', Kelly said , looking across the room at their latest family picture and next to it the picture taken when she had won an award for being medical student of the year the previous year.'

'It's okay Kelly, I know how hard it is for you at times. I love you', he kissed her on the cheek.'

'I love you Zack', she turned to face him and then let her medical books fall to the floor, she thought she had done enough studying for one night and kissed her husband passionately.

They saw in the new milliennium making love on their sofa , surrounded by the textbooks that had fallen to the floor.

Zack's prediction had been right, Kelly did ace those two tests in school when the new semester began. When Zack's end of year bonus from the bank had cleared, it had been far more than he had expected to get. With it he started a new savings account for them so they could buy the type of house they had both always dreamed of once Kelly had graduated med school and they were both earning a decent sum. Yes, the new millennium was full of promises for their entire family and it was a future to look forward too.


	4. Chapter 4

-1_I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show_

The Gang At The Millennium

Chapter Four

He hadn't expected to have a date for new years eve. He had never had a date for new years eve, it wasn't as if it was anything unusual. And this was the big one, the milliennium. You must have had to book a date well in advance if you weren't in a relationship with anyone. Perhaps he should have asked Lisa about this night back in nursery school, but what would have been the point, she would have still rejected him then anyway, even as a four year old, just as she had always done. A long time had passed since he last saw Lisa anyway, he didn't think of her much anymore. After all, Screech had a new crush these days. Her name was Penny and she was a guidance counsellor at Bayside , where he now worked as a science teacher. The nerd, now taught nerds, he often joked with Mr Belding, or as Screech liked to call him, Chief.

Screech had wanted to ask Penny to go out this evening, but what would have been the point? She would only have said no. He had seen what her now ex-boyfriend looked like when he had come to pick her up from work one day last year.

Screech took out some albums of pictures he had from high school and college. He may as well spend the evening re-living some happy memories. There was a picture of him with his girlfriend in high school, Violet. The only girlfriend he had had in high school. They had had some good times together, he had missed her when she left. But then he moved on to his pictures from his days at Cal U and found his favourite picture. It was of him and Linda together at a college ball, the night before she had left Cal U for good , to concentrate on her tennis career full time. He still followed her career. She was still winning every tennis championship going and he still loved her. He had never felt about anyone the way he had felt for her. But just like Violet, that relationship was long in the past now too.

Screech fell asleep looking at his old high school and college pictures and was woken by the sound of his phone ringing at midnight.

'Hello Sam.'

'Penny. Hi,how are you?', he was surprised and delighted to receive a phone call from her.

'I'm fine. I was just calling to say or rather wish you a happy new year and a happy new milliennium of course.'

'Thanks Penny and the same to you', suddenly, now that she had called him, he was feeling brave. 'I say Penny, now that we have sort of seen the millennium in together, how would you like to go out for dinner sometime?'

'I would love too, Sam. I'm already looking forward to it.'

After talking to Penny for a little while longer , Screech put the phone down with a smile on his face. Suddenly he had a good feeling about this new milliennium.


	5. Chapter 5

-1_I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show_

The Gang At The Millennium

Chapter Five

Having decided to ditch Doug for the evening after all, she had decided she wasn't really in to him, her friend Berry had got her in to the party, courtesy of Berry's current boyfriend who would probably be history by the end of the evening, if Berry spotted another man he fancied more.

Lisa took another glass of the finest champagne from the tray and continued to walk round the room. None of the men here had caught her eye yet, they either looked too old, too gay or too boring, or just simply not her type at all.

'Excuse me, your Lisa Turtle aren't you?'

'Yes , I am. Who wants to know?'

'My names Mitch. I'm a photographer , I took some of the pictures for your collection that's launching next week.'

'Of course, I do remember us meeting briefly now. So have you been a photographer for long?'

'Long enough to know that your not the usual stuck-up extravagant designer that I sometimes have the displeasure to meet.'

'Thanks, I think. So how do you know the guy that's throwing this party?'

'Russ Stanton, I've known him since I was a small boy. He is a friend of my parents. I took the pictures at his last wedding.'

'What do you mean his last wedding? How many times has he been married?'

'Five, I think. He gets bored easily.'

'So do I', she admitted.

'But I bet nobody ever gets bored of you.'

'I don't give them a chance too.'

Suddenly Lisa was enjoying the fun of flirting with him. Acutally he wasn't bad looking, though a bit old for her liking. Most of the guys she dated were a few years younger than her, Mitch had to be a good ten years older. But then if you couldn't do something different on the eve of a new millennium, then when could you?

'In that case Lisa, maybe you and I should ditch the party now, before you get bored of me.'

'I'd like that', she told him as he took her hand and led her out of the room and the building in to the buzzing New York evening.

'So where would you like to go now? A late dinner or maybe a cocktail?'

'A cocktail sounds good to me.'

'You have to have a Manhattan Sling on account of the fact your in Manhattan', Mitch joked after he had ordered their cocktails from the waiter.

'So Mitch, you lived in New York a long time?'

'All of my life. How about you?'

'Only since I went to FIT. I'm from LA.'

'I saw your profile of your designs , congratulations. You do realise once they hit the stores, your going to be in the big time, up there with the best of them.'

'Thanks Mitch, this is a really exciting time for me. It's what I've been working towards my whole life.'

'Lets toast to success.'

They clinked their cocktail glasses together as the clock struck twelve and they saw in the new millennium together.

Lisa knew Mitch was quite clearly interested in her, but right now all she was interested in was the coming week and her first collection finally being launched for sale. Once that was all over, maybe she could think about going on a date with Mitch. She would swap numbers with him if he asked anyway.


End file.
